Top Faults

By Julie Sinclair

25th October 2007

It's the question at the back of every new buyer’s mind: “When is this car going to start costing me money?” And now you can find out!

Cover provider Warranty Direct has studied the repair histories of 16,000 cars – aged four to eight years – exclusively for Auto Express.

The results (pictured, right) show which parts among the UK’s top-selling marques, including Vauxhall, Ford, VW, Mercedes, Toyota and Peugeot, are most likely to fail once the manufacturer’s guarantee has run out, plus the average cost of repair. Axle and suspension systems are among the first to go. These failed on nearly 14 per cent of the four-year-old Renaults. Transmissions and engines were most likely to last at least eight years – but an average auto box repair is £1,110. And there were big differences between makes. Nearly six per cent of four-year-old Peugeots had cooling faults, but no Hondas. The Japanese firm came on top; less than 20 per cent of its cars required major repairs. However, half the BMWs and Renaults studied needed work.